Fox Cities Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Appleton, WISeptember 19, 2027
The Fox Cities Marathon holds its entire 26.2 miles inside a 139 foot band of elevation, and then hands you Wisconsin September air that averages 92% humidity at the gun. It runs point to point across the Fox River valley, from the UW Oshkosh Fox Cities campus in Menasha to Riverside Park in Neenah, off at 7:00 a.m.
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Those two facts point the same direction. A course with 439 feet of climbing and 480 of descent is not going to break your legs. A dew point that high will slow you down whether your legs agree or not, and most runners here lose more time to the air than to the terrain.
360 days to race day
Fox Cities Marathon · September 19, 2027 · about 51 weeks out
Your plan starts with your race and works backward. Every week lands on a real calendar, with race day at the end.
When to start training for the Fox Cities Marathon 2027
Race day is September 19, 2027, which is 360 days from today. Counting back from that date, here is when each length of build starts.
- 30-week buildStart February 21, 2027
- 24-week buildStart April 4, 2027
- 18-week buildStart May 16, 2027
- 16-week buildStart May 30, 2027
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart June 27, 2027
You have about 51 weeks until race day, so there is still room for a full build. Stride reads the runway you actually have and maps every week from today to September 19, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Fox Cities Marathon course facts
- Course
- Point to Point · Rolling Hills · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 439 ft gain, 480 ft loss
- Highest / lowest point
- 823 ft / 684 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 543 in 2025 (small field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 3.1% in 2025
- Typical race morning
- 56°F at the start, 92% humidity, clear
- Race day high / low
- 68°F / 51°F on average
Let’s find the plan for you.
Your race, current mileage, longest run, marathon experience, and available days decide the best fit. Stride maps the plan you choose to race day at the Fox Cities Marathon.
- Stride Run-Walk FinisherThree sessions a week with planned walk breaks, cover the full distance before race day.
- Stride First MarathonThe classic four-day first-marathon build: easy running and one weekly long run, no speedwork.
- Stride First Marathon PlusA first-marathon build with a little more volume and weekly race-pace miles.
- Stride 6-Day FinisherFinish your first marathon on frequency: six easy-leaning runs a week, no monster long runs.
- Stride 5-Day Pace BuilderFive days a week with race-pace runs before your long runs, built for a mid-pack time goal.
- Stride 6-Day RhythmSix days a week with three quality sessions, steady fatigue that teaches you to finish strong.
- Stride Time-Based FoundationFive time-based runs a week, mostly easy, the injury-averse way to a strong finish.
- Stride Time-Based BuilderSix time-based runs a week at a strict 80% easy / 20% hard split, chase a time goal without breaking.
- Stride 3-Day Cross-TrainThree runs plus two cross-training days over 24 weeks, marathon fitness on a busy schedule.
- Stride 3-Day QualityExactly three hard runs plus two mandatory cross-training sessions, every workout counts.
- Stride 6-Day CumulativeThe six-day cumulative-fatigue build with quality from week two, for PR chasers with a base.
- Stride Threshold 55The serious BQ/PR build to 55 miles a week: threshold work, medium-long runs, and 20-milers.
- Stride Threshold 70The high-mileage BQ/PR build to 70 miles a week for veterans with a deep base.
- Stride 2-Quality FlexTwo fixed quality sessions a week, everything else flexible easy running, fits any schedule.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Choose your Fox Cities Marathon training window.
Compare 12, 16, 18, and 20 weeks counted back from race day. The 18-week option includes the complete four-day schedule.
The course: Menasha to Neenah, with no elevation to hide behind
The Fox Cities Marathon is a point-to-point through Wisconsin's Fox River valley, running from the UW Oshkosh Fox Cities campus at 1478 Midway Road in Menasha to a finish at Riverside Park on Wisconsin Avenue in Neenah. It stays between 684 and 823 feet with 439 feet of climbing, so it is flat to gently rolling from end to end.
The organizer publishes the route as maps rather than as a written mile-by-mile description, so specific climbs and landmarks are hard to pin down without running it. What the numbers make plain is that no rise on this course is long enough to matter on its own.
It is a small race. 543 people finished the marathon in 2025, up from 403 in 2023, and the event has been running for more than three decades. Expect long quiet stretches rather than a wall of spectators, which suits some runners and unsettles others.
How to train for the Fox Cities Marathon
Train for the Fox Cities Marathon on genuinely flat ground and in humidity. A course with 439 feet of climbing across 26.2 miles gives your legs no variation for three or four hours, which is harder on one set of muscles than rolling terrain, and the September start typically sits near 92% humidity.
So build two habits. Run at least four long runs on flat, unvarying surfaces such as a rail trail or a bike path, holding a single pace, and pay attention to where you start to ache. That ache is what mile 20 will feel like, and it shows up earlier on flat courses than people expect.
Then train the air. From about ten weeks out, run long runs at dawn when humidity peaks, drink to a schedule, and carry two goal paces: one for a dry morning and one for a soupy one. Choosing between them at mile 3 rather than mile 18 is the actual skill.
One more, because of the field size. Do several long runs entirely alone at goal effort. You will spend hours out there without a pack to sit behind.
Getting in
This is not a race you have to fight to enter. 543 people finished the Fox Cities Marathon in 2025, up from 403 in 2023 and 352 in 2022, and the event has been going for more than thirty years. Register through the race's own site, and sort out race-morning transport first, because the start in Menasha and the finish in Neenah are in different towns.
Where does the Fox Cities Marathon get hard?
Miles 18 to 24, where a course with no hills gives one set of muscles the same job for three hours straight and the September dew point is still sitting on you.
What is the weather like at the Fox Cities Marathon?
Mid-September mornings around the Fox Cities usually start near 56F with humidity around 92% and clear skies, warming to an average high near 68F. That is a comfortable temperature and an uncomfortable dew point, a combination that talks runners into overdressing and going out fast. Train in early morning humidity so the first hour feels familiar.
Is the Fox Cities Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Fox Cities is a Boston eligible course and the terrain will not stand in your way: 3.1% of finishers ran qualifying times in 2025 and 4.7% did in 2023. With only 439 feet of climbing across the whole race, a qualifying attempt here comes down to the weather on the day far more than the profile.
Is the Fox Cities Marathon a good first marathon?
It is a sensible first marathon. The course is nearly flat, the field is small enough to feel manageable, and a 7:00 a.m. start gets you moving before the day warms up. The one thing to confirm directly with the organizer is the course time limit, which is not published on the main race pages.
Fox Cities Marathon questions, answered.
Is the Fox Cities Marathon flat?
Close to it. The Fox Cities Marathon runs between 684 and 823 feet with 439 feet of climbing and 480 of descent across 26.2 miles, so no rise on the course is long enough to change your race. In September the limiting factor is almost always humidity rather than terrain.
Where does the Fox Cities Marathon start and finish?
It starts at 7:00 a.m. at the UW Oshkosh Fox Cities campus, 1478 Midway Road in Menasha, and finishes at Riverside Park, 500 E. Wisconsin Avenue in Neenah. It is a point-to-point course through the Fox River valley, so plan how you will get between the two ends before race morning.
Is the Fox Cities Marathon good for a first marathon?
Yes, for most runners. It is nearly flat, the field is small at 543 marathon finishers in 2025, and a 7:00 a.m. gun puts most of your race in the cool part of the morning. Confirm the course time limit with the organizer first, since it is not listed on the main race pages.
What is the weather like at the Fox Cities Marathon?
Mid-September mornings there usually start around 56F with humidity near 92%, warming to an average high near 68F. The temperature is pleasant and the dew point is not, so expect to sweat more than the thermometer suggests. Practice fluid and salt intake on humid morning long runs.
Where does the Fox Cities Marathon get hard?
Miles 18 to 24, where a course with no hills gives one set of muscles the same job for three hours straight and the September dew point is still sitting on you.
What is the weather like at the Fox Cities Marathon?
Mid-September mornings around the Fox Cities usually start near 56F with humidity around 92% and clear skies, warming to an average high near 68F. That is a comfortable temperature and an uncomfortable dew point, a combination that talks runners into overdressing and going out fast. Train in early morning humidity so the first hour feels familiar.
Is the Fox Cities Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Fox Cities is a Boston eligible course and the terrain will not stand in your way: 3.1% of finishers ran qualifying times in 2025 and 4.7% did in 2023. With only 439 feet of climbing across the whole race, a qualifying attempt here comes down to the weather on the day far more than the profile.
Is the Fox Cities Marathon a good first marathon?
It is a sensible first marathon. The course is nearly flat, the field is small enough to feel manageable, and a 7:00 a.m. start gets you moving before the day warms up. The one thing to confirm directly with the organizer is the course time limit, which is not published on the main race pages.
When should I start training for the Fox Cities Marathon 2027?
Race day is September 19, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around May 2, 2027, a 16-week build around May 30, 2027, and a 12-week build around June 27, 2027. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Fox Cities Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Fox Cities Marathon as your race, and answer a few questions about your recent running and your weekly schedule. Stride matches you to one of 14 marathon plans, maps every week from today to September 19, 2027, adjusts when life gets in the way, and puts you in a feed of runners training for the same race.
Choosing a training app?
A Fox Cities Marathon buildup is months of your life. See how Stride compares before you commit it to an app.
Find your plan.
Your race, current mileage, recent longest run, goal, and run days determine which plans rank first. Choose one and subscribe, then open every workout in Stride.